Method of cleaning bottles



Get. 4, 1932. KIEFER 1,880,257

METHOD OF CLEANING BOTTLES Filed July 21, 1930 '7 Fly. 1

W1 Tzyz'ssis. J van 7012, 4

Patented Oct. 4, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KARL KIEEER, OF CINCINNATI; OHIO; JAMES A. RHEINSTROM AND HUGO GOLDSMITH EXEGUTORS OF SAID KARL KIEFER, DECEASED METHODOF CLEANING BOTTLES Application filed July 21, 1930. Serial No. 469,815.

My invention relates to an improvement in a method of cleaning bottles. The ob]ect of my improvement is to handle the bottles 1n their natural upright position for cleaning, which is contrary to the former methodwhereby the bottles were placed in an inverted position for this purpose and which necessitated the bottles being again set upright for filling. My method enables the bottles to be handled in the bottling room in a continuous process through the bottle cleaning machine and into the filling machine by means of a continuous conveying apparatus and withou the assistance of an operator.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing and also by the method which may be performed with the apparatus illustrated, in which- Figure 1 is a view of my machine by which I may carry out the new process, and Figure 2 a detail of-a bottle'which is to be cleaned.

I propose to clean the bottles by compressed air or any other fluid, such as steam,

gas or liquid. The impurities on the inside of a bottle are usually dust, sand from the annealing ovens and paper from shipping cartons,-often of such a nature that a'rinsing with liquid is not necessary to remove them, but a very much simplified process, as blowing out the impurities from the bottle, is all that is required.

If, however, the bottleshave become grimy from being allowed to stand a long time exposed to impurities, rinsing is required, for

which the apparatus illustrated may also be used. Thereupon any remainin water has to be blown out from the bottle y steam or compressed air, and more than one umt of 'mydapparatus in succession will have to be use In Fi re 1, C is a conveyor for carrying the bott es and this is o erated step by step by a Geneva movement Fingers-9 and 9 on the conveyor move the bottles from left to right continuously and step by step through the machine illustrated. M is the' motor, which by proper gearing drives the Geneva movement. This gear mechanism is also connected to another rotary shaftD which carries the cam E. A blow tube Bis operatively connected to a double armed lever F that is fulcrumed" at 2. By means of a connecting rod 3, the cam E gives a reciprocating motion to this blow tube so that it lowers and rises and thus enters and withdraws from each bottle as the bottle stops momentarily under the tube. Roller 4 reduces the mechanism through the hood and pipe and conveyed outside the room in which filling operations are done.

The operation of the apparatus is simple and needs very little further description. The blow tube B must necessarily be considerably smaller than the neck of the bottle to avoid eddies and to permit the impurities to be blown out of the bottle, as shown in Fig. 2. V i

The air pressure should be suflicient. From 40 to 100 pounds may be used. The opening in the blow tube ought to be small, about 1 3- of an inch, but that may vary ac-v cording to the size of themany bottles that may be cleaned by this process.

If it is necessary to wash the bottle, then the pipe 7 can be connected to a h drant in the case of cold water, but an additional unit of the apparatus is necessary to blow the water out of the bottle, which is then in a vertical position. If this 0 eration is succeeded by the introducing o steam through another unit of my apparatus, the bottles will then not only be cleaned but also sterilized. If a slight amount of moisture remains in the bottle, the process can be further continued by evaporating this through blowing hot air into the bottle by means of still an additional unit of my apparatus.

These various operations can be carried on automatically and successively from one of my units to the next without the necessity of upri hting the bottle from inverted position or at er manual handling.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. The method of freeing a dry container, havin a substantially restricted neck opening, rom impurities on the inside thereof solely by the use of a dry gaseous medium, while said container is in substantially-upright position, which comprises releasing a jet of said medium under pressure within said container below the shoulders thereof, whereby impurities within said container are driven upwardly and out through said openmg. d a 2. The method of cleaning dry bottles ha v-,

ing a neck opening smaller than the inside diameter of said bottles and defined therefrom by shoulders, while said bottlesare in a substantially upright position, which comprises releasing a jet of dry air under pres sure within said bottles and below the shoulders thereof, whereby im urities are forced upwardly and out through the necks of the bottles.

3. The method of cleaning dry bottles from impurities therein, which comprises placing said bottles in an upright position, moving said bottles serially, and invat least one position in the path of movement of said bottles releasing a jet of dry gaseous medium under pressure in said bottles and below the shoulders thereof, whereby the impurities are forced upwardly and out through the necks of the bottles, and carrying away said impurities- KARL KIEFER. 

